


The Horizon In Our Minds

by GingerAle3



Series: AroAceing the Line [2]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, AroAceing the Line 2021, Developing Relationship, F/F, Queerplatonic Relationships, Temporary Character Death (mentioned), it isn't addressed but Zolf and Wilde are intended as asexual and aromantic respectively
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29653707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerAle3/pseuds/GingerAle3
Summary: Being with Kiko is...not what Azu had expected.That didn’t mean she didn’t like it though.
Relationships: Azu/Kiko (Rusty Quill Gaming), QPR Zolf Smith & Oscar Wilde, implied QPR Azu & Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan, lots of other relationships mentioned
Series: AroAceing the Line [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177172
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16
Collections: AroAceing the Line





	The Horizon In Our Minds

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the AroAceing the Line event on tumblr.  
> (@aroaceingtheline)
> 
> 23/2 - Tuesday  
> Erasing the Line
> 
> Day 2! Give it up for Day 2! I love Azu very much and she deserves nice things.
> 
> (Title from Standing By by Pentatonix)

Being with Kiko is...not what Azu had expected.

After their chess date in the park, she found herself sitting in her room, gazing out of the window and turning this thought over in her head. When she first left her village, she saw herself as setting out on some grand adventure, and certainly a lot of what had happened since had served to reinforce it. She’d travelled the world, been thrown through time, made friends, lost friends, and was on an ongoing quest to save the world. All the hallmarks of a classic adventure were there, just like the stories she loved as a young girl. There had been something missing from the quest that had always been in the stories though: the sweeping, star-crossed romance.

In truth, she had been aware for some time that the start of her relationship with Kiko didn’t really match what she’d read in the stories. There were no immediate fireworks, no angels singing and sparks flying as they locked eyes for the first time and just knew they were made for each other. They had simply drifted together gracelessly and awkwardly as two people who simply enjoyed spending time together and wanted to see where that interest could go. None of it had been picture-perfect, or matched the vision of a relationship that Azu had always held. From the first date where Kiko had to hide her dirty socks, to the body-swapping debacle, to “Do you want to be my girlfriend, like properly, like officially, like, uh, you know…” Not exactly the fairytale romance she’d read about in the books.

That didn’t mean she didn’t like it though. Quite the opposite in fact. Holding Kiko’s hand, or chatting with her in the cargo bay, or playing chess in the park, it all made Azu feel full-up and giddy and flustered in the best possible way. She caught herself giggling a lot, or thinking of Kiko and feeling her cheeks warm up, which made no sense considering how easy and understated their relationship had been up to that point.

If anyone around seemed to be going through some sort of epic romance like she’d always wanted, it was actually Zolf and Wilde. Going through hell together, repeatedly saving each other’s lives, Zolf even followed him into the afterlife to bring him back. In spite of that though, there seemed to be no romance between the two of them.

Certainly there was affection there, love, commitment, indescribable amounts of trust and understanding of each other clear even through the barbed comments and occasional smug smirks. They never kissed though, never showed any sort of interest in each other beyond platonic. Wilde still flirted of course, he wouldn’t be Wilde if he didn’t, but it seemed almost meant as a joke. That was certainly how it was taken by Zolf, judging by the fond eye rolls and rude responses. Commitment, love, closeness, big gestures, but no romance.

Of course she’d heard of such relationships, she was a paladin of the goddess of love after all, but seeing it in person was entirely different than just hearing about it second-hand. In a way, it also reminded her a lot of her own bond with Hamid. Just like them, she couldn’t truly picture a future without him in it in some form, and had he been one of the ones taken in the ship crash she would have dived into the afterlife for him without a moment’s hesitation. They hugged constantly, or held hands, and it had reached the point where both of their reactions to any sort of stress or sadness was to seek the other out. In spite of all that though, she had never felt any sort of romantic draw to him. He wasn’t a lover to her, but calling him a friend didn’t feel like it did justice to all that they’d been through. She wasn’t in love with him, but she did love him. She wondered if that was how Zolf and Wilde felt for each other. No wonder Zolf had just shut down after the crash…

Azu shook herself free of these thoughts. It didn’t do to dwell on such morbid things, especially now that Wilde was back with them and closer to his old self than he’d been since they’d got back from Rome. What she did want to dwell on was the love that surrounded her. Now that she’d pushed past the surface level of it and started considering it beyond the immediately obvious things, she realised that there were dozens of different bonds of love and affection and care tying the whole group together.

Wilde to Zolf, Zolf to Hamid, Hamid to the Kobolds, the Kobolds to Sassraa, Sassraa to Cel, Cel to Barnes, Barnes to Carter, Carter to Azu (and wouldn’t that take some getting used to), Azu to…

Kiko was crossing the street below, headed towards the markets. She seemed at ease, though she was distractedly pushing her hair back out of her face. Absently, Azu wondered if she’d let her braid it. It looked very soft. Would that be weird?

It was at that moment that Azu remembered that they were riding through the Northern Wastes on the back of a giant bear after passing through fields of wild magic that caused everyone’s bodies to swap. Kiko was still here after all of that. Their whole lives were weird, and so was their relationship. Maybe what was considered “normal” didn’t matter. Maybe they could be weird together.

Azu smiled and wondered if someone could lend her a brush.


End file.
